Chapter 156: The Core Team (Request for Monthly Tickets)

Di Youzhi cared even more than Xu Yuan and Fu Jingyu about the arrangements for the Champa Office from the Southern Office.

He had effectively thrown his lot in with Xu Yuan; if Xu Police Inspector could not secure a weighty post in the Champa Office next, neither Di Youzhi nor the brothers under his command would have it easy.

Although Xu Yuan and Fu Jingyu were both confidants of the Commander, until the official document was published, Di Youzhi ultimately felt uneasy.

"Keep your cool," Xu Yuan said, and stepped into the yamen.

Inside the main hall of the yamen, Xu Yuan spotted an old acquaintance at a glance and bowed with a smile: "Old Senior."

Yan Lao laughed heartily in return: "Little Xu."

He came out to greet them, pulling Xu Yuan inside: "You all haven't met yet; this is Xu Yuan, the Xu Police Inspector whom the Commander has been praising!

This Champa Office case was also saved thanks to his turning the tide!"

There were eight people who had come with Yan Lao.

In the very center sat a man in his early forties, slightly overweight, with sharp light in his eyes, right in the prime of his strength.

The others sat respectively to his left and right; none were young, except for one old man among them.

As soon as Yan Lao finished speaking, everyone praised Xu Yuan a few times.

Yan Lao pointed to the middle-aged man and said: "Xu Yuan, this is He Youxing, Lord He; from now on, he will be the Master of Laws of the Champa Office."

Xu Yuan immediately clasped his fists: "I pay my respects to the Master of Laws."

He Youxing supported him: "Xu Police Inspector has rendered great merit to the Champa Office; there is no need for such modesty."

Yan Lao introduced the others: "This is Xie Qingman, Lady Xie; she assists Lord He as the Deputy Master of Laws of the Champa Office."

The remaining few were all Xunjians and Deputy Xunjians.

Yan Lao specifically introduced that old man: "This is my junior brother, Qu Jinpeng. The Commander originally wanted me to guide you for two years, but I truly lack the strength, so I recommended my junior brother."

Xu Yuan understood and immediately greeted him with the respect due to a junior: "Senior."

Qu Jinpeng was easy to get along with; he smiled and said: "We are all one family; there is no need for such formality."

Thus, the various posts of the Champa Office were settled.

Qu Jinpeng would serve as Police Inspector, with Xu Yuan as his deputy, still holding the title of Deputy Police Inspector.

Normally, a welcome banquet should be held for the newly arrived lords tonight, but with such a major incident having just occurred at the Champa Office, it was truly inappropriate to throw a grand feast.

In the end, it was Yan Lao who gave the order, and Xu Yuan simply treated the few lords to a meal.

This also revealed the awkwardness of the Champa Office; there was not a single person of sufficient weight left to properly play the host.

Zhu Sili was, as expected, dismissed and investigated.

He likely would not be punished with a crime, but he would certainly have to leave the Purification Bureau.

Southern Jiaozhi's Southern Office under Ma Tianshou could not tolerate someone who knew of the matter yet reported nothing, sitting idly by while a tragedy unfolded.

Lin Zi and Lu Qiuyang were both dead, and the Champa Office originally had no Deputy Master of Laws.

Now, aside from Xu Yuan, the only one who could represent the Champa Office was Zhu Sili's Deputy Police Inspector.

He was not even as good as Xu Yuan.

Some words were hard to say in front of too many people; after the evening ended, Yan Lao brought a message from Ma Tianshou to Xu Yuan: This merit will be recorded first; rising too fast is not a good thing.

Yan Lao was also afraid Xu Yuan might have thoughts, so he specifically added: "The Commander is thinking of other ways to reward you: he has applied for a craft item perfectly suited for a Rank Dan Xiu for you; that thing is no small matter and must wait for approval from above."

Xu Yuan smiled: "Senior, rest assured; this junior is not the type who does not know gratitude."

Yan Lao smiled and then advised: "Lord He has high ambitions and intends to reorganize the Champa Office. Tomorrow morning, you should be the first to pull those you have recently found convenient to use into your Lin Zi."

Xu Yuan nodded.

It was clear during the meal that Lord He had received the Commander's support to obtain this position.

But the relationship between Lord He and Ma Tianshou seemed more like an alliance than a subordinate one.

When Deputy Master of Laws Xie Qingman spoke to Xu Yuan, her tone was always soft yet hard; she was only superficially polite to Yan Lao.

As for the other three Xunjians, Xu Yuan observed them himself, and with Fu Jingyu and Yu Yunhang helping analyze from the side, he had already guessed that two were He Youxing's men and one was Xie Qingman's.

Yan Lao continued to reveal key information: "The Champa Office originally had only two Xunjians, but before Lord He arrived, he specifically asked the Commander for two additional Police Inspector positions."

Xu Yuan furrowed his brow in thought; were these two slots... just for He Youxing to bring two confidants?

In this way, the Champa Office would have four Xunjians... Xu Yuan had some guesses in his heart.

"Thank you, Senior, for the guidance!" Xu Yuan clasped his fists.

Yan Lao chuckled, knowing Xu Yuan understood his meaning; he admired this young man even more in his heart—clever, understanding at a single hint.

Thus, he could not help but think of his own past... and a sigh of regret filled his heart.

Yan Lao had spent his whole life in the Purification Bureau.

His aptitude was outstanding, yet it did not reach the level of absolute top-tier brilliance.

He had a background, but not enough to guarantee him a smooth rise to the clouds.

In his youth, he was reckless; after missing those two or three opportunities, his chances were exhausted, and for this life he could only serve as a deputy, eventually growing old in a sinecure.

Everything he now warned Xu Yuan about were the very losses he himself had suffered back then.

There were many people like Yan Lao in the Purification Bureau.

Or rather, in every yamen throughout the Imperial Ming, there were many.

They possessed rich experience, their minds clear as a mirror regarding all the precedents within the yamen. If they were willing to offer strategies and plans, they would absolutely make excellent secretaries.

But even if they were to live a second life, most would still repeat the same mistakes, ending up in the same mediocre situation of being neither high nor low.

This was due to their nature.

Yan Lao told Xu Yuan to go early tomorrow to "grab people" because the Purification Bureau, being such a yamen, did not need so much scheming and intrigue; or rather, scheming and intrigue were secondary; in the end, everyone would be ranked by the final "performance assessment."

Having elite soldiers and strong subordinates under one's command was the guarantee of one's own achievements.

As for exactly which people to pull under his banner, Xu Yuan had already made his calculations.

The next day, the prohibitions were: star-gazing, inventory checks, daytime dreaming, and whistling in the streets.

For the Purification Bureau and the Shanhe Bureau, such days were better than the nights when travel was banned.

Even during the banned nights, there were always a few bold souls who insisted on drinking and meeting beauties.

But when "gazing at the moon" and "star-gazing" were prohibited, no one in the city dared to go out at night.

After getting up, Xu Yuan went first to find Lang Xiao Ba.

Facing the invitation from Inspector Xu, Lang Xiao Ba agreed without much hesitation.

Lang Xiao Ba was the "know-it-all" of the City Office.

Then Xu Yuan instructed Lang Xiao Ba: "Go wait at the yamen gate; the moment Di Youzhi and Zhou Leizi arrive, call them over to me."

"My lord, will you not go to the gate yourself to put on a show of honoring the worthy and thirsting for talent?"

Lang Xiao Ba was feeling a bit high and mighty.

The Inspector himself came to find him first; clearly, he was the most valued! Lang Xiao Ba unconsciously began playing the role of a sycophantic strategist.

Xu Yuan glared at him: "If I tell you to go, you go!"

Honoring the worthy? Did Di Youzhi and Zhou Leizi need that? Did they even have any other choice?

Begging for monthly tickets~

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(End of this chapter)